1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an axle bearing assembly for an automobile or the like, and more particularly, to an axle bearing assembly that is equipped with a sealing member for preventing outside contaminants from infiltrating into an inner side of the bearing portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
More and more for axles bearing assemblies are being used in vehicles such as pickup trucks. In such vehicles, higher resistance to outside contaminants is required. In a bearing portion of the axle bearing assembly, sealing members are conventionally fitted to gaps on an inner side and an outer side between an inner ring and an outer ring to prevent the outflow of lubricant and the infiltration of outside contaminants. However, the sealing member prevents outside contaminants from infiltrating the gaps on the inner side. Thus, when the sealing member deteriorates due to longtime use, outside contaminants may infiltrate the bearing portion.
In a conventional axle bearing assembly an oil seal is fitted in a gap between an inner end of a wheel hub and an axle housing, and an oil catcher is bolted to the inside of a flange of the wheel hub in such a manner as to cover the gap (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-201979 (JP-A-11-201979)).
In the axle bearing assembly described in JP-A-11-201979, the oil seal is fitted to the opening on the inner side of the bearing portion, and the oil catcher covers the oil seal. However, there is a wide gap between the oil seal and the oil catcher. Therefore, it is still possible for outside contaminants to infiltrate the bearing portion from this gap when the oil seal deteriorates.